Concept Systems wins PNG government payroll deal

Concept Systems International Ltd has successfully rolled out the first phase of a multi-million deal to upgrade Papua New Guinea's public service.

The Concept team beat international competition to win the International Monetary Fund (IMF) contract to computerise and clean up the PNG government's payroll system.

The Brisbane-based software group said it had two possible deals with Third World countries through the IMF.

The PNG government has thousands of ghost workers, people who are registered on the payroll who don't actually work for the government.

PNG public services minister Puka Temu said the new payroll system would eliminate the large number of ghost salaries which would easily be as high as 10 per cent of the total 65,000 person payroll.
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"The PNG government is doing everything to revitalise the public service by taking drastic measures to transform it into a well-managed and affordable organisation and bring spending under control," Dr Temu said.

Concept Systems managing director Greg Phillips said the four to five-year contract with the PNG government was worth $13-$20 million and would save the PNG government around $45 million per annum.

"The payroll system installed in PNG is one of the most sophisticated systems in the world which tracks leave, organises the payroll management," Mt Phillips said.

He said PNG was told by the IMF 18 months ago it had to "fix up its public service" before it lent it any more funds.

"The government knows it has problems with ghosts, they know they are paying 65,000 people but they don't know if they really have that many staff," he said.

"The key to the government's reform is having a very efficient public service to carry out the work.

"Because we've done such a good job in PNG, the IMF are also talking to us about two other countries, I cannot say with ones ... we've now got a track record of implementing systems in country like PNG with its inherent social problems, we are talking right now."